gentlemen, as you can see i am not the only one who has had problems with these folks. i would have taken some digital pictures to post if i'd had a digital camera. because of the credit card companies requirement that i get an independent evaluation of their condition i took them to two gunsmiths for evaluation and had their letters faxed. they are going to make good on the work and i'm having them redone by another company and when the old stocks are removed they will be sent back to GREAT AMERICAN RIP-OFF. in addition, pictures could not have shown the blemishes or flaws that were hidden by the color of the laminate, and unless i had video, pretty difficult to show the bolt operation hitting the rear action screw. i'm not picking at one or two minor little items with the work here. i had already sent one of the rifles back to them to fix a blatant crack in the fore cap which they had to have been aware of before they sent it. they knew exactly what i was talking about when i called them on the phone about it and told me to send it back. of course at my expense!
when it came back the second time it had scratches on the new fore cap that didn't even run with the grain of the wood. all of the action, drop box and tang had receded from the stock and in an attempt to make up for the shrinkage or overtightening the first time, they simply cinched the screw up so tight it protruded up thru the action scraping the bolt when operated. anyone familiar with laminates knows how soft they are and takes the appropriate precautions when handling them. i would assume that when you're charging someone 850 dollars to install one, you would take extra care to avert any damage to the stock when fitting it, finishing it, and making the final attachment. at least allow the customer the honor of giving it it's first ding. sadly, the actual finish on the stock wasn't too bad. i probably could have lived with that had it not been for the multiple other screw ups. the other piece, for 1100+, could not have been anything other than a production piece with the finish it came with. i think the only work done was the attachment of my tips and caps and butt pad, and the removal and re-installation of my recoil tube from my old stock. again, if i had wanted Wal-Mart to do the work and they had charged me Wal-Mart prices, then i would have been less likely to be so upset. i still wouldn't have been happy, but i would probably have chalked it up to "you get what you pay for". there was another individual on another forum who is friends with the owner of GAG and repeatedly presents pictures of work they did for him. i'm glad he didn't get ripped, but from the pictures he posted i didn't see anything worth paying what it cost me. i don't know what he paid, but if he is satisfied, that's what counts. i'm not a collector and i don't have unrealistic expectations of what money can buy these days, but you don't have to be the sharpest tool in the shed to know when you're taken.
